1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile machine arrangement for receiving, storing and distributing track ballast, the machine arrangement being mounted on the track for mobility in an operating direction and comprising a ballast storage device comprising a ballast conveyor band arranged at a bottom of the ballast storage device and extending longitudinally in the direction of the track, the ballast conveyor band having a forward end in the operating direction, a vertically adjustable ballast plow arrangement, a ballast receiving device, such as a rotatable brush, arranged to receive the track ballast, and a ballast transport device projecting from a machine frame end towards the ballast storage device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A machine arrangement of this type has been disclosed in European patent application No. 0 052 089, published May 19, 1982. In this machine arrangement, a rotatable ballast receiving brush is mounted on a first machine frame preceding a second machine frame in the operating direction between forwardly projecting ballast plow arrangement vertically mounted on the first machine frame and a succeeding ballast transport device. The ballast transport device comprises three parallel conveyor bands rising in a direction opposite to the operating direction and projecting from a rear end of the first machine frame. The second machine frame comprises a ballast transport car which has a conveyor band extending along the top of the car and a scraper displaceable along the top conveyor band. In operation, the front plow arrangement levels the track ballast as it distributes it over the entire width of the ballast bed. Any excess ballast is then received by the rotatable brushes from the tops of the ties and/or the cribs and is moved onto the ballast transport device which deposits it on the top conveyor band of the ballast transport car. The displaceable scraper moves the ballast from the top conveyor band into the box of the transport car. This machine arrangement cannot be used for distributing ballast to track sections which do not have enough ballast.
Swiss patent No. 652,428, published Nov. 15, 1985, discloses a ballast planing machine comprising a vertically adjustable plow arrangement mounted between two undercarriages. A rotatable ballast receiving brush is mounted at a rear end of the machine for distributing excess ballast or to direct it to a transport car for later use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,018, dated Mar. 10, 1982, discloses a mobile machine for receiving and distributing track ballast, which comprises a ballast storage box having a longitudinally extending conveyor band at the bottom thereof and receiving track ballast from a rotatable ballast receiving brush and a conveyor rising therefrom and discharging the ballast onto the conveyor band in the ballast storage box. The output end of the conveyor band selectively discharges ballast from the box through outlet means. A vertically adjustable plow arrangement is mounted below the machine frame immediately behind the outlet means to distribute the discharged ballast over the width of the ballast bed. This machine arrangement is very useful for surfacing track sections exhibiting different ballast levels or densities.
U S. Pat. No. 4,576,538, dated Mar. 18, 1986, discloses a ballast storage box car with a longitudinally extending bottom conveyor band and an upwardly inclined transfer conveyor projecting from one end of the box for transferring the ballast to an adjacent box car. A modified type of freight car for bulk material with a bottom conveyor band has been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/648,214, filed Jan. 31, 1991, now patent No.